thank u very much for your reply its nice to be on a site that u dont have to tip toe around the conversation ,i think wee just need to get on with it take a day at a time,

hi there just got ur message thank u very much for replyn to me ,i go in on the 23rd march for my treatment i got some paperwrk on it ,ive to *** off my thyroxine this monday for 4 wks so im really dreadn that ,im findn it really hard to tell people in my family how im feeln so they dont worry about me but i think once i go into the beatson i will fall apart ,i no it will be all over in 6 wks time but it seems such a long time away .xx

hi bubblymags

as a carer of my wife with secondary bowel cancer (terminal) i found the drop in centres such as kilbride hospice red deer road east kilbride;;maggies centre opposite wishaw general and haven in blantyre all very good places just to drop in for a chat and share experiences

i am not familiar with any in the glasgow area but i'm sure there will be some ask your cancer specialist nurse or macmillan nurse

you mention the beatson clinic so i asume your from around these parts although of course you may be travelling from further afield

best of luck for 23rd march

chin up

Hi bubblymags

i'm sorry to hear you re finding it hard to find anyone to talk to. I remember that too. You need to find a group of cancer patients and survivors to talk too, can your hospital or GP point you to anyone in your area? Its really important to talk to people who have been through it.. Friends and family can be fantastically supportive but its talking to those who ve had the same treatments/ surgeries and more importantly all the feelings that you are experiencing that can really understand.

Did you find and read my post on radio iodine treatment on this forum.. you will find it very useful for march 23rd. If you cant find it, let me know..

Its hard to follow the iodine free diet, i used a recipe book i down loaded from Thyca, a thyroid cancer group in america. It was useful, but theres no getting away from the fact you re in for a very dull eating experience for a while. I went into my local health food shop in search of foods i could eat and had to enlist the help of the assistants as everything i picked up had banned stuff in it. At first they had a look of ' what is this ridiculous woman doing' as i'm sure they thought i was just following some faddy hollywood diet..it was when they saw me checking things on my thyroid cancer booklets that their attitude toward me changed and they all[ 3 of them] scoured the shelves for me. I left with some rice cakes with dark chocolate on them and a ginger cake bar. That was it! So read the thyca recipe book and follow that, not very exciting but at least you won t go hungry.

Let me know about the radio iodine treatment information i posted.. i'll send it again if you can t find it...

Try and find a support group. This forum is great but nothing beats the face to face i think.

Which area do you live in ?

You will get through this. X

Keep in touch , Vix x

Hi bubblymags,

I'm not a great poster on forums but you sound like you could use some info. Just to let you know a little bit what to expect.

Before RAI, I was only off meds for 2 weeks (I was taking T3 not T4 at the time). I felt tired but not ill and worked until the week before (some people don't, probably depends on the type of work you do).

When I arrived at the hospital on a Monday morning I went up to the ward, and was shown my room which was at the end of a corridor. There was a window although it was too high to see out of. I had an "ensuite" bathroom, shower etc. The nurses were nice. The first thing they did was give me lunch! After lunch the physicist came and gave me "the drink". It didn't taste of anything much. I was pretty worried after taking it, but didn't really feel anything at all, not sick or anything. The nurses kept their distance though, but they brought me food and water regularly and said I could ring whenever I wanted anything. I could have visitors, although they had to stay behind a screen at the foot of the bed. The door to my room was left open, unless I wanted to close it, which I did at night. I was given disposable pyjamas and disposable towels for use after showering. The only side effect from the RAI was a slight odour, which disappeared after a day or two. The physicist measured my radiation levels on Tuesday and Wednesday, when I was allowed home, after having a scan, which didn't take long. I drank loads of water to clear the RAI from my system.

After I went home I restarted medication and went back to work 2 weeks later. I have felt fine since then, although I go back for regular review.

It really is the best treatment. The isolation for a couple of days is the worst thing, but hopefully you will have a phone and a TV and you can probably take in books and DVDs, although you won't get them back. Wishing you all the best.

hi thank u for your reply well ive got a week n a half to go then i go in for my treatment i told my wee boy i was going to manchester for a while so he is going to stay with his aunty, it will be hard on the monday morning droping him at school then knowing i wnt see him for over a week ,ive bn very tired bn off my thyroxine my face keeps on swellen up n going all rashy ,but as i keep saying its only for a short time being nt well then it will be all over with ,i hope you have bn fine after your treatment ,i will keep you posted ,fingers crossed all goes well

Hello, i was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at 12, im now 15 and in remission. My oncologist can't get rid of the cancer spots on my lungs but their inactive thankfully! (althought they have caused a lung disease:| ) I had 5 radio iodine treatments, so i know how hard it is them few weeks before. I thought i'd write as i don't know many people like me and its good to talk to others who are sharing the cancer experience! Best of luck!! Jordan xx

Hi Bubblymags

Not long now till it's all over! I guess you won't be feeling great right now as you'll be very hypothyroid, but you'll definitely start feeling better once you're back on medication. Try and make the most of your hospital stay - take in books/magazines/DVDs etc (but only if you don't mind leaving them behind!). Also, you might want to take in juice or snacks, in case the hospital food's not to your taste.

Thinking of you!! x

thank u very much for thinking of me it means alot ,yer i go in tomorow so very nervous i think once im there i will be ok,im just very tired at the moment cant be bothered with anything but as u said wont be long till i get bk to normal i cant wait,how have you been after all your treatment ,anyway i will keep u upto date wen i get bk out ,thank you once again .xx